


Love and Redemption

by SilverWolf7



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Gen, Love, Please Don't Hate Me, Redemption, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 18:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11167239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolf7/pseuds/SilverWolf7
Summary: During a session, Lucifer explains how love is not redemption.  He uses personal examples to get Linda to understand it is the actions, not the love that redeem a person.





	Love and Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> Because I am honestly that fed up with Love = Redemption fics in this fandom. So, here's my story on love and redemption.

“Here’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now but never really thought was the right time. Lucifer, if you are able to redeem yourself in your father’s eyes, would you take that chance?”

Lucifer blinked from the couch and sank down further into it. “Considering I did nothing terribly bad to have to redeem myself for, I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Well, with your feelings for Chloe and your wings now being reformed do you want to go home?”

He frowned at her. “As far as I am concerned, Doctor, I am home. L.A has been more welcoming to me than Heaven ever was. And I don’t even know why what I do or do not feel for the Detective has anything to do with this conversation.”

Linda leaned forwards. “Well, isn’t love a way to redeem yourself?”

He stared at her, before an amused smile made its way across his face. “What is with you humans believing that? Why would falling in love with anyone redeem your soul? It’s your deeds, not your feelings that state where the soul goes. Love has nothing to do with Heaven or Hell. That’s Heavenly PR for you though...”

Linda seemed surprised by that, her eyebrows rising. “So, it’s not right?”

Lucifer laughed. “Oh, sometimes over the Millennia I really wished that were true, Doctor. You see if love truly was the redeeming quality you people seem to think it is, most of the souls in Hell wouldn’t be there. Sure, some would still be destined to be punished for eternity, but most humans do love at least one person in their life.”

“Oh, okay. That’s actually a scary thought to have...”

The amusement seemed to slip off Lucifer’s face as quickly as it had appeared. “Do you know how many souls come into my care saying they don’t belong in Hell and use love as an excuse? A lot. I have had to listen to serial killers go on about how they don’t deserve Hell, because they loved their spouse and could never do anything to hurt them. And they truly mean it. I’ve had parents tell me that murdering their children was done out of love for the child. I have had dictators who did harm to their countries and/or the world saying that they loved their family and/or their people and should not have to suffer for it. I could go on, but won’t. Love is for the living, Doctor. Where you go in death has nothing to do with whether or not you have loved in life.”

Linda stared at him, her face bleak. “What about soulmates?”

And like a light switch, there was that amused smile again. “Soulmates have nothing to do with love. Well, not the romantic or sexual kind you’re thinking of anyway. One person could potentially have many soulmates in a lifetime. Or none. The whole soulmates thing as humans see it is a human construct. It also isn’t a forever thing. It’s more a mutual connection in which two souls gain what they need most at that moment.”

Linda slumped into her seat. “I do have to agree with soulmates being a human construct. I thought that myself. I never thought of love not being a redeemer though.”

“Like I said, Heavenly PR. Got to make things sound good. Not boring. Heaven’s good for the souls that go there, but not much good for anything else.”

Linda nodded. “So, if you had the chance to go back, you wouldn’t take it.”

“No. It was never really home to me. Well, it was, but too many things have happened to ever make it feel like home again. I’ll stick to Earth thanks. I like it here and there’s people who are alive doing people things that I would otherwise miss in Hell, or Heaven for that matter.”

Linda shifted and sighed. “And redemption?”

“Redemption is either something that happens or doesn’t, Doctor. I was given my wings back because I did save not only Earth, but Heaven too with one swing of a sword and opening up my mouth and talking. What happened on that beach saved countless lives, both of humans and angels, my parents too. I’m pretty sure, Doctor, by your own assessment of having my wings back, I have already achieved redemption.”

“And Chloe had absolutely nothing to do with that?”

He grinned. “Oh, she played a part. But so did you, and Amenadiel and Maze and even Daniel. His part was probably one of the more important parts. The Detective was the reason I went to the beach to begin with. But I needed Dan to be there more than her at the end. And what happened down on the beach had nothing to do with humans at all. I suppose you could say love saved the day, but it isn’t what redeemed me. My actions did.”

Linda rubbed at her head. “See, to me they seem like the exact same thing...”

He grinned. “Doesn’t surprise me. Let’s put it this way. When I got to the beach, I went with the intention of killing my own mother. We both knew Charlotte’s body wouldn’t last much longer before blowing and taking a huge chunk of the Earth with it. I knew I couldn’t send her to Heaven by then, because I couldn’t condemn my brothers and sisters to that fate. Which left me two options. Send her somewhere else, or kill her. She didn’t want Hell, I had asked and she took it badly, so I thought to just destroy her. Save her by taking her out of the picture entirely. But...I couldn’t do it. And then the second idea hit me. Why not start somewhere new for her to play in. I effectively started a new universe that day, Doctor, with my mother as the ruler of it.”

She shook her head. “Okay, I understand what you did. We have already discussed that.”

“You’re not seeing the point. Murder is murder and a bad thing. If I had destroyed my mother, even though I was acting out of love, I would have been destined for Hell, yet again. Killing Uriel out of love earned me my very own room in Hell, Linda. Love for others sent me to Hell.”

Linda’s eyes grew wide at that. “Oh...wow. Yes, I see now. I’m sorry. This is a bit much for me right now. Can we stop?”

He grinned at her and nodded. “Whatever you need, Doctor. See you next week?”

She nodded. “Yes, of course. See you next week.”

They both came out of that session hoping to never have to speak of that topic ever again.


End file.
